Dani Al Kateb is young, strong and willing to work, but he hasn't landed a steady job since arriving from Iraq in 2020.
He lives in Warwick Farm in Sydney's south-west, where the 7.3 per cent unemployment rate is more than double the nation's average of 3.5 per cent, according to June 2022 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.
Mr Al Kateb, 23, cleaned surgery theatres in Iraq and said additional English classes would help him both apply and secure a job here.
"I have to find a job to help my family and sister and brother. If I found a job and work, I help my life in rent, and some shopping," he said.
ABS data indicates fewer people looking for work has led to a surge in job vacancies across the country.
The federal government is responding by reviewing how many skilled migrants it lets into the country each year, tabling the issue for discussion at a Jobs and Skills Summit to be held next month in Canberra.
But reports it could lift the number of migrants by as much as 25 per cent — from 160,000 to 200,000 a year — have been met with some backlash.
Fairfield City Council Mayor Frank Carbone said the federal government should focus on upskilling the migrants already here and looking for work.
"The biggest vacancies are actually in hospitality, in administration and in jobs that we can easily train people in purely a few weeks," he said.
"It's easier to train someone that has a house here, has a family here, understands the culture and speaks the language, than to train a migrant to come over to make a coffee when they can't speak English."
Fairfield is among the most multicultural areas in the country with 61 per cent of its residents born overseas, according to the latest Census.
Mr Carbone said most new migrants would gravitate towards the region.
"[Letting in more migrants] might be well for the government, but that won't be well for the existing community that needs to wear the burden of higher rents, higher cost of living pressures and higher congestion," he said.
The Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre in neighbouring Liverpool helps new arrivals settle in the area.
Marketing manager Rachel Haywood said they faced barriers entering the workforce, including language, digital literacy, transportation and affordable childcare.
"Many employers want to see someone with great English and who has localised work experience," she said.
"For many of our clients that simply isn't the case, so [it's about] getting them work experience. That could be at Coles, Woolies, IKEA … very hands-on roles."
She said recognising overseas qualifications of skilled migrants — or creating bridging courses — could help them enter the Australian workforce quicker.
"There are so many industries that aren't recognised and the one that always springs to mind is engineering," she said.
"They've studied for years and years, and they come to Australia and their qualifications aren't recognised."
Helping migrants learn English could help offset the shortage in bilingual interpreters and workers in aged and health care that are needed, she said.
Business Western Sydney wants more migrants and extra training to those who have already settled here.
Chief executive David Borger said industry specific courses could be used to rapidly upskill them.
"Businesses are struggling cause they can't find enough staff … It's just we don't have enough people in Australia to fill the positions that we've got," he said.
"We can do micro-credentialing, to produce education that is delivered directly to what that employee needs."
He said there was a shortage across all industries but singled out construction and landscaping as notably vulnerable.
"There's companies in the construction, the landscaping area for example, that have had to say no to jobs because they can't find people to come and work for them," he said.
"This means consumers miss out, that means businesses can't get their places upgraded."
Mr Al Kateb said he'd happily work as a landscaper if he could.
"I want English courses but same time I want work because I want to help my family," he said.
